He beamed like a proud teacher. “Exactly.”
“Which means,” I began thinking aloud, “in theory, conjuring elemental magic is no different than a human making a fire or digging deep enough for water. Except, as fae, we… what… ask the essence of these things to coalesce?”
“Without getting into the technicalities, yes, that’s exactly what we do.” Artton took a half-step to the side and stretched his arm out to indicate the small river. “Want to try?”
I looked to the river then him, then down to the bandolier, but before I could say what I was thinking, he said, “We’ve got to learn to walk first.”
He was right, of course. Step one: learn to conjure an element.
Walking toward the river about twenty or so paces away, I asked, “Is it hard?”
In step with me, he shook his head. “I doubt it. You just have to make sure you ground to the Mother, which we both know you’ve done before. It won’t be as intense as when she transformed you, but it will still have the same feeling. Just make sure the magic you feel in your chest isn’t involved.”
“Why not?” I asked, glancing over at him.
“Let’s just say the two don’t play well together.”
“Well, that’s not ominous or anything.”
The commander chuckled. “Pretty sure the fallout is the least of your worries, Spark.”
I rolled my eyes. We both knew he was right, but still.
We stopped about a pace away from the river. Not turning to face Artton, I said, “Now what?”
“Now,” he said, voice low as he leaned in a little closer, “you trust your fae instincts and conjure water.”
I cut him a look. “Easier said than done.”
“Enough of that,” he said sternly. “You’re fae now. Stop thinking like a human and conjure some damn water already.”
Huffing, I held his glare for a second, then turned myfocus to the flowing water.
Steadying my nerves, I closed my eyes and reached for the Mother, but through my senses as opposed to touch. Like breathing, it was something I’d unwittingly done my entire life, but ever since she’d transformed me, sensed her more powerfully than ever before. Resisting the urge to kick off my boots and feel her beneath the souls. I quieted my heart and searched for the omnipresent essence that existed in everything. She was in the air I breathed. The buzzing of the bees. The scent of the blooming valley. As I allowed myself to get lost in it, let myself sink into her vibration, I couldfeelthe different elements like one can sense the weather changing or hear a river running.
“I can feel it,” I whispered.
“Good. Now open your eyes.”
I did, and like that night in the forest with Luca, I could see the Mother’s magical signature, though this time it was made up of micro specks, connected by threads so thin a spider would have a hard time balancing on them. They were colored, but not in any obvious way, like blue for water. No, they were more prismatic in nature, nearly invisible. Kind of like the bridge.
“Artton,” I breathed, the sight so beautiful I’d challenge anyone who didn’t believe witnessing it was life-altering in a way.
“I know,” he whispered back.
Not wanting to lose my concentration, I asked in a low voice, “Now what?”
“Now,” he began, “once you think of the element you want to conjure, the strongest threads will shimmer while the others will dull until they fade away. You don’t have to wait for this to happen if you’re in the heat of a battle, but while you’re learning, it’s good to learn the differences. Then, in your mind, pluck the one you want. When you do this, you can either snap your fingers like you do for the embers or turn your wrist up like I did.”
Nodding, I followed his instructions and was surprised at how fast the threads shifted, three of them now prominent. Then I plucked the closest one with my mind while snapping myfingers.
A surge of power rushed over my skin as if I’d jumped into a cool lake, and then, as if the midnight sky’s worth of stars were summoned by my will, tiny water particles coalesced above my hand in a perfect sphere.
“I did it,” I screamed, throwing my hands up in celebration, which made the ball of water fall to the ground. Laughter ripped through me as adrenaline pounded through my body. Pumping the air with my fists, I jumped up and down, giggling with delight, relief, and a levity I’d forgotten existed.
Artton looked at me like I was crazy, then softened into it, and I knew he felt my joy too.
Finally coming down from the high, I craned my neck to look Artton in the eyes. Holding his gaze for a moment, my eyes watered. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
